EZEKIEL 45
A
Bible Study - Commentary by Jim Melough
Copyright
2003 James Melough
45:1. “Moreover when ye shall divide by lot the
land for inheritance, ye shall offer an oblation unto the Lord, an holy
portion of the land: The length shall be the length of five and twenty
thousand reeds, and the breadth shall be ten thousand. This shall be holy in
all the borders thereof round about.”
As they prepare to apportion the land amongst the people in the Millennium,
they will first reserve a section measuring 25,000 reeds long and 10,000 reeds
broad, and present it as an offering to the Lord, that piece of land being
thereby invested with the character of holiness. (A reed measured 10½ feet
long, so the length will be a little over 8 miles, and the breadth a little
over 3 miles).
45:2. “Of this there shall be for the sanctuary
five hundred in length, with five hundred in breadth, square round about; and
fifty cubits round about for the suburbs thereof.”
Out of the larger tract of land there will be reserved for the temple a square
measuring 500 reeds long and 500 broad, surrounded by an additional area 50
cubits wide to be kept as an open space around it.
45:3. “And of this measure shalt thou measure
the length of five and twenty thousand, and the breadth of ten thousand: and
in it shall be the sanctuary and the most holy place.”
The measurements in this verse are cubits - the large cubit of 21 inches as
opposed to the small cubit which was 18 inches long. This area will be
reserved for the Temple with its most holy place.
45:4. “The holy portion of the land shall be for
the priests the ministers of the sanctuary, which shall come near to minister
unto the Lord: and it shall be a place for their houses, and an holy place for
the sanctuary.”
This area will be for the Temple and for the houses of those priests who serve
the Lord within the sanctuary as distinct from those whose service will be
limited as recorded in 44:10-11.
45:5. “And the five and twenty thousand of
length, and the ten thousand of breadth, shall also the Levites, the ministers
of the house (Temple), have for themselves, for a possession for twenty
chambers.”
“... twenty chambers” is generally understood to mean twenty cities.
45:6. “And ye shall appoint the possession of
the city five thousand broad, and five and twenty thousand long, over against
the oblation of the holy portion: it shall be for the whole house of Israel.”
The RSV renders this verse, “Alongside the portion set apart as the holy
district you shall assign for the possession of the city (Jerusalem) ...; it
shall belong to the whole house of Israel ...”
45:7. “And a portion shall be for the prince on
the one side and on the other side of the oblation of the holy portion, and of
the possession of the city, before the oblation of the holy portion, and
before the possession of the city, from the west side westward, and from the
east side eastward: and the length shall be over against one of the portions,
from the west border unto the east border.”
The AAT translation of this verse reads, “And the prince shall have the land
on both sides of the sacred allotment and the city property, facing the sacred
allotment and the city property west and east along a length equal to that of
one of the tribal lots, from the west to the east border of the land.”
45:8. “In the land shall be his possession in
Israel: and my princes shall no more oppress my people; and the rest of the
land shall they give to the house of Israel according to their tribes.”
In the Millennium, the princes having received their allotments from God, will
be satisfied, and will no longer, as in the past, oppress the people who will
also receive their allotted portions from God.
45:9. “Thus saith the Lord God; Let it suffice
you, O princes of Israel: remove violence and spoil, and execute judgment and
justice, take away your exactions from my people, saith the Lord God.”
This is God’s command to the princes to be satisfied with the portion He will
assign them, and to cease from violence and robbery, and to be just and
righteous in their application of the law, no longer crushing the people with
unjust taxes, and seizure of their homes when they can’t pay.
45:10. “Ye shall have just balances, and a just
ephah, and a just bath.”
Their scales will no longer be adjusted in favor of the seller, and their dry
and liquid measures will also be accurate.
45:11. “The ephah and the bath shall be of one
measure, that the bath my contain the tenth part of an homer, and the ephah
the tenth part of an homer: the measure thereof shall be after the homer.”
The AAT rendering of this verse reads, “The ephah and the bath shall be of the
same measure - the bath containing the tenth of a homer, and the ephah the
tenth of a homer, the homer being the standard of measurement.” The ephah is
dry measure, and the bath, liquid, and they are to be of the same size,
approximately of five gallons capacity.
45:12. “And the shekel shall be twenty gerahs:
twenty shekels, five and twenty shekels, fifteen shekels, shall be your maneh.”
This verse is variously translated as follows: “Twenty shekels, twenty-five
shekels and fifteen shekels are to make one mina,” The Jerusalem Bible;
“Your mina shall contain weights of ten and twenty-five and fifteen shekels,”
NEB; “five shekels shall be five shekels, and ten shekels shall be ten
shekels, and your mina shall be fifty shekels,” RSV; “... (five shekels shall
be five shekels, and ten shekels shall be ten shekels), and your mana shall be
twenty shekels,” AAT.
45:13. “This is the oblation that ye shall
offer; the sixth part of an ephah of an homer of wheat, and ye shall give the
sixth part of an ephah of an homer of barley:”
This is also translated, “These are the contributions you shall set aside: out
of every homer of wheat or of barley, one sixth of an ephah,” NEB
45:14. “Concerning the ordinance of oil, the
bath of oil, ye shall offer the tenth part of a bath out of the cor, which is
an homer of ten baths; for ten baths are an homer:”
The Jerusalem Bible translates this, “ The dues on oil: one bath of oil out of
every ten baths or out of every cor (which is equal to ten baths or one homer,
since ten baths equal one homer).” “... the fixed portion of oil, one tenth
of a bath from each cor (the cor, like the homer, contains ten baths),” RSV.
45:15. “And one lamb out of the flock, out of
two hundred, out of the fat pastures of Israel; for a meat (meal) offering,
and for a burnt offering, and for peace offerings, to make reconciliation for
them, saith the Lord God.”
AAT translates this, “and one sheep out of every flock of two hundred - from
all the families of Israel - to provide for the cereal offering, the burnt
offering, and the thank offerings, that atonement may be made for them ...”
45:16. “All the people of the land shall give
this oblation for the prince in Israel.”
The Jerusalem Bible renders this, “Let all the people of the country be
subject to this due for the prince of Israel.”
45:17. “And it shall be the prince’s part to
give burnt offerings, and meat (meal) offerings, and drink offerings, in the
feasts, and in the new moons, and in the sabbaths, in all solemnities of the
house of Israel: he shall prepare the sin offering, and the meat (meal)
offering, and the burnt offering, and the peace offerings, to make
reconciliation for the house of Israel.”
The AAT translation of this verse is, “And it shall be the prince’s duty to
provide the burnt offering, the cereal offering, and the libation, at the
various festivals - the new moons, the sabbaths, and all the other fixed
festivals of the house of Israel, at which he shall provide the sin offering,
the cereal offering, the burnt offering, and the thank offerings.”
45:18. “Thus saith the Lord God; In the first
month, in the first day of the month, thou shalt take a young bullock without
blemish, and cleanse the sanctuary:
45:19. “And the priest shall take of the blood
of the sin offering, and put it upon the posts of the house, and upon the four
corners of the settle (pedestal) of the altar, and upon the posts of the gate
of the inner court.”
45:20. “And so thou shalt do the seventh day of
the month for every one that erreth, and for him that is simple: and ye shall
reconcile (make atonement for) the house.”
“that erreth” is also rendered, “who sins through error or ignorance,” and
“him that is simple” is also translated “is feeble minded.”
45:21. “In the first month, in the fourteenth
day of the month, ye shall have (celebrate) the passover, a feast of seven
days; unleavened bread shall be eaten.”
45:22. “And upon that day shall the prince
prepare for himself and for all the people of the land a bullock for a sin
offering.”
45:23. “And seven days of the feast he shall
prepare a burnt offering to the Lord, seven bullocks and seven rams without
blemish daily the seven days; and a kid of the goats daily for a sin
offering.”
45:24. “And he shall prepare a meat (meal)
offering of an ephah for a bullock, and an ephah for a ram, and a hin of oil
for an (each) ephah.”
45:25. “In the seventh month, in the fifteenth
day of the month, shall he do the like in the feast of the seven days,
according to the sin offering, according to the burnt offering, and according
to the meat (meal) offering, and according to the oil.”
This seven-day feast will be the feast of Tabernacles.
Since these last five verses are self-explanatory no comment seems necessary.
The question arises, however, as to why the other feasts aren’t mentioned:
Pentecost, Trumpets, Day of Atonement, and there are two generally suggested
reasons: (1) God, for an unexplained reason, will simply eliminate the use of
these three, (2) Since those mentioned are the first two and the last, it may
be implied that the others are included with them.
[Ezekiel
46]